The concept of using a viscous sealant such as a silicone in a wire connector to waterproof the wire connector is known in the art. Examples of use of viscous sealants in twist-on wire connectors is shown in King U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,037. Other types of silicones such as silicone gels, which cure to a soft gel like consistency are used for protecting extremely delicate electronic components from shock and vibration as well as waterproofing the encapsulated components. Generally, the silicone gels have a tacky surface and form a mechanical bond to most surfaces making them ideal for vibration protection. The viscous sealants, which remain in a viscous state, require no curing phase and can be injected directly into a wire connector while the conventional method of creating gels, which are made from mixing two components, require a curing phase that requires additional handling and processing.
The known process for formation of the silicone gels includes the mixing of a first silicone gel precursor with a second silicone gel precursor and then curing the gel mixture at an elevated temperature for a period of time. Typically, the gel mixtures are cured by heating the gel mixture and maintaining the gel mixture at temperatures ranging from 25° C. to 150° C. at times ranging from 5 minutes to 24 hours. Generally, the shorter cure times are used with gel mixtures that are cured at higher temperatures and the longer cure times are used with gel mixtures that are cured at lower temperatures which can require a separate or isolated curing of the product and the gel. Also when a silicone gel mixture is used in small amounts, for example in wire connectors such as twist-on wire connectors, oftentimes the silicone gel mixture may not cure properly. Another difficulty in manufacturing wire connectors with gels is that curing the gel mixture by heating the wire connector and the gel mixture renders the manufacturing process more difficult and more costly. Another manufacturing difficulty is that it has been found that when small amounts of a gel mixture are cured by the prior art proscribed curing process separation of the cured gel mixture can occur which leaves an oily film on the cured gel mixture oftentimes making it unacceptable for use in wire connectors.